Imprisonment
by MIZZOU
Summary: The Lone Wanderer wakes up to find himself in the Enclave Headquarters, and is convinced his short life will end. Somehow, a group of traveling mercenaries manage to bust him out. But what about the G.E.C.K.? Takes place during, and after Raven Rock.
1. Warm Welcome?

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Fallout 3

When Zack Valerico awoke, he was utterly confused. He had no idea what happened, or where he was. The room made him feel noticeably alarmed. The text on the door read "Cell 4", so his apprehension was amply justified. He walked up to the rather intriguing door, seeking an escape. He pushed and pulled, but to no avail. It seemed to be as sealed as Vault 101's entrance was. Zack thought about the dilemma, and how it had happened. He had been leaving Vault 87 when something that appeared to be a blue grenade was thrown in front of him. It exploded before he could shout "Shit!". After that, he couldn't remember anymore. This frustrated him to no end, and he was rendered incapable of formulating any sort of plot to escape, all he could do was fume in the room.

His chagrin hadn't ebbed one bit before someone entered the room. She wore the standard Enclave Officer uniform, and to his surprise she was unarmed. This of gave him ideas. Zack wasn't feeling very chivalrous at the moment, and prepared to rush at the woman.

"I wouldn't attack me if I were you." She warned. When Zack showed no signs of easing up, she added "I'm unarmed, have no key, and am simply a messenger for President Eden. Attacking me would just make this entire base hostile towards you."

Zack slightly relaxed, but still glared. When it was obvious he wasn't going to speak, she decided to relay the President's message.

"President Eden has ordered me to deliver this message:

"Well, if it isn't the fabled Lone Wanderer, in my very home! I must say, and this may come as a surprise to you, I am honored." It was obvious that the message was meant for Eden to say himself, and it sounded alien coming out of the woman's mouth. She didn't even try to mimic his charm.

"I understand you're probably confused, despaired, hungry, and maybe, just maybe, the Hero of the Wastes is slightly frightened. But fear not, my friend, we mean you no harm. I hope you don't feel that you are a prisoner, but rather a guest in this wonderful military base. Since I'm sure this a lot to swallow, I won't expect you to come and chat just today. In fact, I plan on letting you choose to come to me when you feel that you are ready to talk. Whether it takes days, or even weeks for you to come to me. I'm afraid that I cannot let you leave your room unless you wish to negotiate with me, I'm sure you understand that, dear hero. If you have _any_ requests that can be fulfilled by this officer, there is an intercom to summon her. She is under your command. You will be given complimentary meals throughout the day, but if you ever crave another snack, your officer can make the arrangements necessary. You can also listen to my fireside chats on the Enclave Radio whenever you like, and hear about America's bright, bright future.

"Now, we must part. I hope that I have shed some light on this unfortunate situation, and you are more comfortable with it. If you have any questions, but don't want to come to me just yet, my officer can act as a go between us. Feel free to ask me absolutely anything. Goodbye, my friend." She finished.

"Leave," Was his reply.

"Yes, sir."

Zack watched her leave, waiting for her to pull out some sort of key that would open the door, but she did nothing of the sort. She walked up to the door, it automatically opened for her, and stepped out, leaving him alone. He put his fingers to his head, and massaged his temples, stressed out to say the least. One word raced through his head.

"Fuck."

Zack did not usually think so simply, but he was in an unusual circumstance. It never had occurred to him that he was not invincible, his accomplishments had never had many consequences. He had never felt so vulnerable. He was at Eden's mercy, and that was the very last thing he wanted. Who knows what the crazy bastard was plotting? Going AWOL was his best option, and when he glanced at the intercom, an idea grew inside him. He approached it and held the button down.

"Can I get some food?" was his gruff requisition.

"Of course," came the reply.

As soon as the same officer entered the room with a tray of appealing food, Zack bolted out the door. It closed pretty quickly, but he had been waiting right by the entrance. However, he was greeted by an unpleasant surprise as soon as he cleared the first door; a small hallway with _another_ door, and of course, it was closed. Naturally, the Wanderer wasn't too pleased with this, and without using any common sense, he punched the solid door. Once his fist made contact, he regretted his reckless decision.

He emitted a horrible sound that was best described as a howl. The door behind him opened and the officer stepped into the hallway.

"Sir, if you return to your quarters, I can go and fetch some medical supplies for your hand." She remarked professionally enough, but if Zack hadn't been so preoccupied he might have noticed that she was trying to stifle a smirk.

Holding his injured hand, he went back into his room and glowered at the wall. The officer went to go get the medical supplies, as promised.

She returned promptly with a syringe of Med-X, some wrapping, and two stimpacks. She was very impressed to see that the man had considerably calmed down. While she was bandaging him he even spoke to her.

"Why haven't you guys killed me?" his voice was somber.

"You can help the Enclave so much, with you, we would be unstoppable." she said this hopefully, but he looked in her eyes and could see that this woman hated him.

"Unstoppable isn't the same as right. I want to restore the Wasteland, not rule over it."

"Then we have the same goals."

"What do you mean?"

The woman laughed, "I meant exactly what I said. What, did the Brotherhood brainwash you into believing we want to destroy the wastes? The crap they spew..." she cut herself short once she remembered who she was talking to.

"What do you know about the Brotherhood?"

"I probably shouldn't be talking about this to you."

"That doesn't make any sense, am I not here to have my mind changed about the Enclave? If I were to ever consider helping any of you, more information is a necessity. Because as far as I'm concerned, you're a cult dedicated to a dictator in a president's disguise. Eden may be a smooth talker, but that means very little to me. I want results, and I've gotten that with the Brotherhood, not the Enclave." he said this harshly, making sure she could see the other side of things.

She had a look of surprise on her face. "You truly believe all of that?"

"Yes. Don't you know what's going on with the Enclave? You probably know that I've killed many Enclave soldiers, and there's a reason I haven't lost a minute of sleep over it. Every time we encounter the Enclave, we witness the crimes your men and women commit. The worst is when the Enclave scientists are involved. Have you seen what they do to Wastelanders in the labs they have? You don't want to."

Her eyes narrowed and she finished bandaging his hand. "I'm not going to sit here and be told by an outsider what the Enclave is. Your hand should heal quickly, but don't do anything so imprudently again."

He watched her leave, slightly disappointed he scared his only guest off. It wasn't hard to brush off though, she wasn't very good company. Turning to his untouched food, he eyed it hungrily. He figured he was as good as dead anyways, so poison didn't pose much of a problem. The food was delicious, it seemed to be pure, or at least more pure than your average meal in the wasteland. It was a large Brahmin steak with a bottle of water. As he ate he wondered if Three Dog was right about the Enclave having a truck full of Brahmin. Hell, if they fed the _prisoners _Brahmin, he couldn't imagine how much they had to spare. Once he finished, he laid back down on the bed, and thought for a while, then drifted into a light, uneasy sleep.

He slept for a long time, which was strange given the circumstance. He was surprised he had even surrendered himself to sleep at all. When he awoke, he walked over to the intercom and paged his "servant".

"Um, hey." he spoke, wondering how he should address her.

"What do you need?" she replied in her usual no-nonsense tone.

"Change of clothes, food, and a piss." he stated.

Slightly taken aback by the last item on the list it took her a moment before replying.

"You _do_ have an actual bathroom here, right?"

"Yes. I'll show you how to use it when I come in with your food and clothing."

"Thanks."

Shocked by his politeness, she lingered a moment, realized it was too late to reply, and walked off to go fetch his things.

"I'm not going to wear that." Zack said as soon as he saw the clothes she brought him. It was what Enclave trainees wore.

"You must."

"Nope."

"Then stay in your current clothes. Bask yourself in contamination, I don't care."

Zack frowned, then got an idea. "That doesn't fly well with me either. Tell you what, I'm not putting that bullshit on, and I'm taking my clothes off. No matter what."

"This is all I'm offering you. Take it or leave it." She said, obviously not understanding what he had implied.

Zack simpered and started to remove his shirt, and it widened when he saw the look on her face.

"Can't you change when I leave?"

"I'm not changing."

Then she understood. "Y-you can't go around naked in an Enclave base!" she exclaimed.

His smirk still present on his face, he finished removing his shirt and dropped it to the ground. As soon as his hands moved down to his pants, she gave in.

"Alright, fine. I'm sure we have some old pre-war clothing somewhere around here. Don't expect to have it very quickly though." she turned to leave, but Zack stopped her.

"Sweet. But first, teach me how to pee?"

Inwardly rolling her eyes, she walked to the corner of the room, which had a small handle on the floor. She slid it open, and revealed a squat toilet.

"That's the toilet?" he frowned.

"Yes. Is that all?"

"Well, one more thing. What's your name?"

"Hope."

Zack laughed, and when Hope got defensive he said that he really thought it was a nice name, just ironic.

"I'll return with your clothes momentarily."

Although Zack seemed pretty cheery when Hope was around, inside he didn't feel so hot. He obviously wasn't leaving, or getting any sort of weapon. He thought of how the door opened every time Hope approached it. That could possibly mean his room was under surveillance and someone opened the door when they saw her walk towards it. He didn't like the thought of someone watching his every move, but expected as much. He took his food to his bed so he could sit and eat. Then, he did the only two things he could do; eat and think.

__

I've got to get the hell out of this place. I only have one real option so far, and it's not one that I'm too keen on. I don't want to talk to Eden, I don't want to think of what he'll want me to do. I guess I'll milk my stay here as long as I can, and hope to get rescued. When Eden gets too impatient, I'm not sure what I'll do. Probably just break for it as soon as I get out of this room. No matter what I do, I don't like my chances of getting out of this thing alive.

Actually thinking about the situation dampened his mood, and he couldn't greet Hope with a triumphant smile when she returned with his clothes.

"President Eden isn't pleased with your refusal to wear Enclave attire."

Zack shrugged. "What's Eden like? He a big guy?"

"I wouldn't know,"

"You've never even met him?"

"For security purposes, Colonel Autumns is the only man allowed to receive direct orders. Besides," she added "he's much too busy for such trivial things."

"Before you were assigned to taking care of me, what did you do?"

"I was mostly in charge of supplying the troops with necessities, so it's not much different. I've also been in charge of the new recruits, I'd even help train them. I serve the Enclave wherever I am needed."

"Do you?" he sounded amused, "How does that treat you?"

"It gives me a satisfied feeling. Why do you continue to ask me such personal questions?" Hope didn't like his tone, he seemed to be mocking her.

Zack snorted, "I wouldn't call this personal, Hope. I could be asking much more intruding questions."

"Since when were we on a first name basis? And what else could you possibly ask me?"

"Since I learned your first name, Hope. I can ask you about your life away from... work. Or the Enclave, whatever you consider it to be. You have a family, Hope?"

Hope's flinch was noticeable, and Zack immediately regretted his question.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to..." he said softly.

"I have no family, I'll leave it at that." she replied, quickly covering any emotion.

"I'm sorry, really. I shouldn't prod you like that." Zack's apology was sincere.

"What about your family?"

Zack stared at her for a moment, he couldn't believe she actually wanted to know something about him.

"My mother died the day I was born, and I've been looking for my dad, but you probably knew that."

Hope nodded, she had heard all about his story, she thought most of it was bullshit. Sounded too incredible, and no one in the Enclave trusted Three Dog's broadcasts, they all thought it was propaganda that was rotting the wastelanders' brains. The man had no plan on changing the Wasteland, anyways, he just reported the news, with no promises. The Enclave took action, and though this man said otherwise, she believed it was all ethical.

"Do you hate me?" Zack asked her.

It took a while for her to answer, wondering if she wanted to answer this truthfully. It could make her current assignment more difficult if there was even more bad blood in between them, but she wanted to speak her mind. She was ordered not to be too harsh, and stay professional, but that was hard to carry out. No once could hear what she said to him, anyways. As long as he didn't complain to President Eden, she would be fine. But, she decided to dance around the word "hate" just in case.

"I do... experience intense dislike for you," she replied a little too coldly.

Zack's head dropped a little, and she decided to lessen the blow.

"But it's not a character flaw from what I can see. I suppose you're much more civil than I expected. I had the notion you were some savage with no concern with the destruction you caused. I see now that you're ignorant to your bane. Perhaps with President Eden's guidance, you can do more than undo your damage."

He chortled "Damn! That was pretty callous, don't you think?"

"What I think, Mr. Valerico, is that you deserved every word." she said firmly.

"And I think you're lucky that I'm used to being treated with such contempt."

"You know, there could be a reason for that."

This squeezed a smile out of him "Now you're just trying to provoke me. Can't you at least give me a chance? I'll bet you're really tight," he taunted.

"What?" his joke went right over her head, which cracked him up.

Though she didn't like to be teased, she didn't interrupt his fit. Sincere laughter was something rarely heard in Raven Rock, and she tried to savor the sound.

"You must be pretty sheltered here," he presumed.

"Yes, all thanks to President Eden, we are safe from the wastes here."

"That's exactly what they would say about the Overseer in Vault 101," he mused.

He sat quietly, and seemed to be transfixed on nothing, so she could see that he was engrossed in his own thoughts. Since he didn't seem to want to talk anymore, she said "If you need anything, you know how to contact me." and he was alone once more.

Zack thought about the resemblances of the Enclave and his old home. He knew from hacked terminals that the Enclave wasn't just a bunch of average Wastelanders with great tech and training. They were supposed to be pure, mutation-free elites. Descendants from the great people of the past. Somehow, they were allowed to be exposed to radiation without being considered impure, unlike in Vault 101. He was almost positive that if any of them started showing physical anomalies, they were discarded immediately in the Enclave. But in both the Enclave and Vault 101, they had been indoctrinated that they had an omnipotent leader who could solve anything. The Enclave took it further, and said that their idol would go on to perfect the world. He empathized with their belief, he knew it all too well. Though he never truly believed the Overseer was that great due to remarks from his dad, almost everyone he cared for in the Vault did. He thought it must be nice to have someone to believe in so much, even if it was out of naivety. There wasn't really anyone whose intentions he could fully trust, save for his father. That man was his one and only role model. He liked the Brotherhood of Steel and all of them, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it would only take one order for them to gun him down. His introspection came down to one conclusion: If you were seeking integrity, the Wasteland shouldn't be the first place to begin your search.

And for Christ's sake, don't put anyone on such a high pedestal that you can't even see whether or not they're off their rocker.

* * *

First off, I would like to apologize. This chapter is very undescriptive, boring at parts, and simple (plus some crappy dialogue). I'd also like to beg your pardon for the cheesy title, and description, I truly couldn't think of anything better. My excuse is that I was in a horrible mood, I wrote it in an airport in Atlanta. Long story short, it had been an excruciatingly boring day for me, and I was oh, so close to throwing a temper tantrum like a child. NEVER FLY AIR TRAN. Seriously.

If one of you were to... say, write a new, better description for this, that would be really swell of you. I'd appreciate it a _ton_.


	2. Charlie's Angels

"When do you plan on talking with President Eden?" Hope asked, trying to sound impatient to give the hint. Another uneventful day had already passed, and she didn't want President Eden to wait.

"I don't plan on it anytime soon." Zack sourly replied.

"Why don't you just give him a chance? Perhaps he as a proposition that would appeal to you," she offered.

"It won't hurt you just to listen, surely he'll give you a chance to come back to your quarters to think about it. It will just give you something more to think about, to pass the time," she continued before he could respond.

"I suppose."

She flashed the prettiest smile he had ever seen, it was sincere, and white. Normal people didn't take very good care of their teeth in the Wasteland, but Enclave personnel weren't your average Wastelanders. Zack wondered if this woman was assigned to be his caretaker for a reason, perhaps Eden had taken into account that he was male, and a lot of men could easily be taken advantage of by an attractive female.

Zack suddenly had an epiphany. If Eden was trying to use gender to his advantage, Zack could do the same himself. It could be tough, and an ignoble thing to do, but it could give him means to escape.

During his revelation, Hope had set his breakfast down, and was heading towards the door.

"Wait!"

She turned, "Hm?"

"I, uh, have a question."

She made her way back to him, obviously still pleased with his willingness to go to Eden.

He hadn't really prepared a question for her, so he had to make on up on the spot. "What do you do during the day when you're not attending to me?"

"Wait for you to call for me,"

"Are you serious? Don't you bored?" he asked, astonished by her dedication.

"Well, it isn't entertaining, but I must serve my country to the fullest if I ever want it to return to its former glory."

"I may not exactly agree with you all the time, but your devotion is truly admirable." he told her earnestly.

She was unprepared for his decency once more, but it made her more susceptible to talking, and he eventually allured her to have a conversation with him. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

-------

Charlie looked at the makeshift map he had again, and scowled as he did whenever the wretched thing was in his sight. He and his large group of mercs were trying to find large settlements, so they could get hired and make a name for themselves. They were migrating from Western Maryland, a place even worse off than D.C., somehow. Very few people lived there, and business was bad. They had heard that Washington D.C. was once a very crowded place, so they reasoned that more people would live there now. They thought they had struck gold upon meeting a Wastelander with a map, not counting on the possibility that it could be inaccurate. That possibility turned out to be a fact, and the mercenaries were hopelessly lost in the North D.C. area.

So, Charlie and company were forced to follow their misleading map, or wander aimlessly. Charlie chose the latter. He wasn't quite worried yet, they weren't short on supplies or ammo, as they hadn't run into much trouble and were quite resourceful, but it was only a matter of time before his men grew restless.

The mercs called themselves "Charlie's Angels", a reference to one of the few pieces of pre-war material they had ever seen that wasn't mangled beyond recognition. Obviously, the Angels had no idea what it was, but they found it ironic, and prided themselves on being "good mercs". They were like Reilly's Rangers, only larger, and more organized. A lot of them were older men, with a lot of experience, but they had a few young bucks. But Charlie wouldn't take anything less than the best. He had lived to be his age by surrounding himself with only first-rate soldiers, with good heads on their broad shoulders.

The assemblage continued their trek North East, without any idea of what their expedition would uncover...

Back at the Citadel, everyone who knew about the Lone Wanderer's trek to get the G.E.C.K. was more than a little paranoid. They were starting to regret their decision to let him go there alone. They too had the fairytale idea that the Wanderer was untouchable, or at least bulletproof. With their hands full with the uglies, they didn't think that they could spare any extra firepower even if it was needed. Now, the Brotherhood's luminaries were reconsidering their reckless decision, though part of them still expected their champion to waltz up to the Citadel holding the precious cargo with a cocky grin plastered on his face. They were all deliberating about how important this mission was, and the possibility that Zack had gotten the G.E.C.K. only to have it swiped by a much more malevolent coalition, or had just led them to it. Before the Lone Wanderer had come and resurrected the fantasy of pure water, they had been stuck in reverse. Accomplishing close to nothing, without putting a real dent in the mutant population, and losing so many men. Purifying the water on the other hand could do more good than the entire Brotherhood has done _ever_ since its existence, and they may have just blown it.

So, what did they do? Took it out on their subordinates, of course! Everyone thought that it was Sentinel Lyons' "time of month", and even the Pride members steered clear. When Sarah had overheard a Knight's vulgar comment regarding her menstruation cycle, she was thrown further off the edge, a feat once thought impossible. Needless to say, that Knight suffered much more than an adequate punishment. A stranger might have found all of this to be quite humorous, but in reality, the severity of the situation was no laughing matter. Project Purity could be royally screwed.

-----

Zack's conversation with Hope was going pretty well. It seemed stiff, and forced, but she seemed to be satisfied with his company. She wasn't used to being exposed to others' emotions, and she was enjoying it, but she tried to keep it on a professional level as best she could. Hope was ostensibly charmed by his unusual attitude. Subconsciously, she liked Zack, but she would never admit such a thing until he had done something for the Enclave.

As for Zack, he had always been very friendly. It was easy for him to take a liking to someone, and in truth, he did respect her adherence. There was one thing he didn't approve of when she spoke of her visions of the future Wasteland. She talked down on them, it was subtle, but he could see it. It was as if she thought that anyone who lived out in the Wastes was lesser, that the hellish conditions stripped them raw of their senses.

_At least, _he thought, _she wants to help them. Even if it's through controlling them, she has the best intentions._

And through all of this, she was a sweet woman. Hope thought of the Wastelanders like a mother thinks of her children, a very, very conservative mother. The Enclave had conditioned her, so that even she was unaware of her own emotions, but Zack had been focusing, and he could detect them. One could say he had honed his intuition.

After a while, she realized how much she had been talking to her prisoner, and it made her uncomfortable. She had a feeling that she shouldn't do this, that it had the potential to distract her from her duty. But then, she remembered her commander's exact words. He had advised her to befriend him if he started stalling time. Befriend him, then urge him to go to Eden. She was "befriending" him, so now she supposed she should encourage him.

"Why don't you see Eden now?" she asked, innocently enough.

He responded with mock disappointment, "What, you sick of me already? Usually it takes a couple more days before people try to get rid of me."

"It's not that at all!" She exclaimed worriedly, hoping that she hadn't offended the inmate. "In fact, it's the exact opposite. It would be nice if you were to... join the Enclave! We could just really use a, uh, guy like you. Then, I'd see you all the time!"

Zack raised an eyebrow, she seemed flustered. Another joke swooped passed her head. He wondered if she really wanted to see him more than she had to, and doubted it. It seemed uncharacteristic of her to say something like that.

"I'm sure you'd just _love_ to see me all the time." he murmured, sarcasm dripping wet off his words. Oddly enough (for Hope, that is) she actually understood what he meant.

"I meant it, sort of." she paused a moment when he cut her off with a chortle, "I'm serious. I know we've viewed each other as enemies ever since we've met, but it doesn't have to be that way. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you are _essential_ to the Enclave. You always talk about fighting the Good Fight, and you chance to is right in front of you. How could you, of all people, pass it up? President Eden has something important planned for you, I just know it. We all need you."

"Alright," he said softly, looking up at her with cerulean eyes. Both of them stood still, eyes still locked. Zack's serious face broke into a smile, and he stood up.

"We can go now, but don't try anything," she warned sternly.

"You're not tying me up?"

"No, you're not supposed to be treated like a criminal." upon seeing his incredulous look, she added "And I imagine it'd be hard to escape this secure base. You'd be the only one lacking Enclave attire."

He nodded in response, not planning on bolting just yet. If an opportunity to escape presented itself, he _would_ take it and run with it. He was equivocal that he would have a chance, but he knew he'd try it.

Raven Rock was complicated to say the least. He couldn't have found his way around without his escort. Zack found the colors to be peculiar, orange stood out the most to him. It was more colorful than the Citadel, but it still had a sinister air to it. The last word used to describe this vicinity would be "comforting". It was much like a sci fi horror film, what with the creatures in test tubes and the scientists standing around, examining them. There were also a lot of soldiers, all clad in their secure power armor, and thought they didn't seem to give him more than a glance, he knew they had their eyes on him. Eyes that were filled with abhorrence for the man before them. Zack was very lucky that they did not express their antipathy at all. No snide comments, and most importantly, no violence. Not even a scornful stare, all of the soldiers were just conscious of his presence. They had been trained too well, too thoroughly, to act irresponsibly, and let their personal feelings get in the way of something bigger than them. Zack almost shuddered at the thought that if he were alone, there would be sizzling holes in his stomach, compliments to a collection of laser rifles.

Zack tried to pay attention to everything, and learn something useful about the Enclave, but that was near impossible with so much going on, as he struggled to keep up with Hope's brisk walk. Finally, they walked into a room with dim blue lighting with a large set of stairs. Hope, with Zack trailing, climbed up to the top, and led Zack to a large computer. The closest thing he had ever seen to such a thing were the trashy existing terminals he found on occasion, so Zack walked up to it in wonderment.

"Ah! Hello, hello!" Zack jumped a little at the sudden sound, but recognized the irresistible, captivating voice at once.

"Eden!" Zack bristled, acrimoniously. Being caught off guard by his adversary had piqued him a bit.

You could hear the smile in Eden's voice.

"It's high time we met, beloved compatriot."

* * *

First, I'd like to thank everyone who took time out of their busy lives to review my quaint little story very, very much. It truly does make a difference to my attitude.

Second, I'd like to state that I will definitely continue on with this story. I finally have some ideas that will work. I still don't know what will happen with Chapter 3, but I'll get working on it ASAP. Hopefully, I'll review more frequently, but keep in mind I'm an assiduous young man (or so I say)!

And, yes, Charlie and his Angels will show up again and be a big part of the plot. I didn't just throw them in there for shits and giggles. I hope that satisfies your cravings for a third party, Alpha. It was indeed a good idea.

Sorry for the shorter chapter, but it seemed like a good place to end it. Tell me what you guys think, and since you guys seem to have awesome suggestions, I'll definitely take some of those.


	3. The Proposal

Zack whipped his head about the room, looking for the source of the voice, but there was no other man in the room.

"Officer, you may leave," Eden commanded, his once rich, resonate voice turned apathetic and impersonal.

"Yes, sir!" Hope responded with more fervor than usual. She promptly left the two "men", but wished she hadn't been ordered to leave. Not only did Hope want to hear the conversation between them, but she was worried for Eden's safety. She was concerned that he would try to meet Zack in person, and how Zack would react. As she was climbing down the stairs, she became more nervous. Gradually slowing down her pace until she came to a stop, then shivered. Although it may have seemed to be a minor infraction, it perturbed her quite a bit. It was the first time Hope had _ever_ broken Eden's Law.

"Alone at last," Eden crooned serenely.

Zack glowered at the screen before him, "I certainly hope you don't plan on me negotiating with you at all while you're hiding like a coward."

"Oh, but I'm not hiding from you! I know I have nothing to fear from you, as you are a known peacemaker. What you see in front of you is John Henry Eden, in the flesh. So to speak."

Zack understood what Eden had meant, but the look on his face was one of pure bewilderment. Hope, who was eavesdropping had a similar look.

Eden chuckled, which suddenly made Zack a little self-concious. He didn't want to appear weak and stupid in front of his foe. He quickly gathered himself and looked up at the machine.

"So, you're some sort of...celestial computer?" It was more of a mock than a question.

"That's quite an interesting path of thinking, but I wouldn't go against it. I prefer to think of myself as a guide, as opposed to a god. I can't do much more than talk, you see. But, I choose my words wisely."

"You seem to have personality, Mr. President. I thought that was a trait reserved for humans."

"Yes, but humans are wonderful inventors. They could find a way to program personality, if they found it necessary."

"Though I find this all very intriguing, I believe we have more important matters to discuss. No offense, but I'd like to keep this on the pithy side."

This seemed to spark Eden's attention, for his voice grew much louder.

"Of course! How thoughtless of me to keep you waiting!"

"I have a proposition for you, one that I think you'll be _very_ interested in. It involves that Project Purity plan your father worked on so hard."

It was quite an ill-advised thing to bring up James in front of Zack, he seethed with anger.

"It was going great, until you bastards killed him!"

"Now now, this isn't the time to be rash. I never killed your father, and if I had been able to prevent his untimely death, I would have. Colonel Autumn can be a rather unruly man, you see. Which brings us back to the overture. This may sound like a wretched thing to do at first, so I'll have to ask that you hear me out until the very end.

"Project Purity would bring purified, pristine water to the Wastes. It's essential for any sort of longevity. However, there has already been some... irreparable damage, due to the radiation. Mutations, Mr. Valerico, that would be present in offspring, and we can't very well stop people from procreating.

"The key, is in a vial. This vial contains an FEV virus, if you're not familiar with the name, FEV is a Forced Evolutionary Virus. The name is far more perverse than the function, I assure you. With this vile, all of the Wasteland's _problems_ shall disappear. We can focus on rebuilding America."

"You want me to _kill_ the people that I've risked my life for more times than I care to remember? These innocent people? They've gone through enough in their lives!" Zack didn't even try to hide his disgust. He wasn't surprised though, he had always known Eden was a perverse man.

"Your compassion, as always, proves to be your most meritable virtue. But, I must ask you to look upon this situation with unbiased eyes, and hear what I have to say. Then, only you can make the decision.

"I'm not going to try to sugarcoat this for you. You, of all people know about the heinous nature of the Wastes. It's not only the poor souls that were mutated beyond recognition, but the lack of justice, morals, and integrity! There is no dignity, no righteousness in America any longer! I try to give hope to my people, but it's _useless_when there are endless rapes and killings. You cannot contain the savage beasts that are the Raiders! Your average Wastelander is a barbarian, and when you add the other psychopaths to the mix, like the cannibals, there is no remedy! There are some things even I cannot correct. Which is why we must clear the stage off, and start anew. But now, we shall sing a different song. Not one of anguish and despair, but of prospect and achievement!" Eden was coming to the crescendo of his speech, his substantial voice starting to raise with excitement.

"A nation must be strong and vigorous; it must be a nation of good fighters and good breeders, else it's doomed to become the abomination America is now. Our county is dead, and its virtue is ineffective; and no sweetness and delicacy, no love for and appreciation of peace and lawfulness, no capacity for building up societal prosperity can possibly atone for the lack of the great vital virtues. Virtues in which the Wasteland fails to maintain. The loss of so many lives is deplorable, but it is necessary for the revival of America."

Zack stood, impressed, but not convinced. He was more open-minded, and decided to even ask a question.

"Would this virus rid us of Super Mutants?"

Eden jumped at this, "Yes! Of course! There would be no more of those monstrous brutes tearing up the population. I can say without a doubt that, with this vial, you will be _saving_ lives. Can you imagine it? A perfect Utopia, there would be no violence, no uproars. A content America, like it was in the Glory Days."

For someone who had experienced America at its absolute lowest, he could not imagine it. He wanted it more than anything at that moment. Eden's speech had made him feel an obsession that was always there, but never so intense. Zack needed to cure the Wasteland.

But half of him was screaming for him to refuse, that Eden couldn't be trusted. It was evident that he would not be able to make the decision easily, and Eden had figured that this would be the case.

"I don't expect you to come to the conclusion right away, you may have as much time as you need to make the decision. Though I'm sure I don't need to remind you that America is waiting. If there's anything else you wish to talk about, you may speak. Otherwise, your escort should be waiting at the bottom of the steps."

Zack nodded and headed towards the stairs. Hope, hearing the footsteps, walked down the stairs too, to give off the illusion that she hadn't been listening in.

Upon seeing her, Zack gave her a weak, hardly reassuring smile, to which she cloned perfectly. They both had a lot on their plate at the moment.

When they arrived at the cell, Hope followed Zack inside. He didn't ask why, but simply sat on the floor and waited for her explanation.

"I listened," she blurted out. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to make the confession, and she felt sure that it was safe to share with him.

Zack stared at her with a blank face, then beckoned her to sit next to him. Once she was by his side he turned to her.

"What should I do?" he had never looked so lost and vulnerable, she actually felt sorry for him.

She looked back at the floor and sighed, "Honestly, I don't know," she breathed.

"I don't know if there's right and wrong," she continued, "I can't believe it, but I think the seed of doubt has been planted. The man I have based my life around is a machine, and the cause I'm dedicated to may very well be unjust. It seems so cruel, to kill those people, even if it wipes out the Super Mutants too."

"Yes, and what makes us the judges of so many fates? I don't want to play God, Hope. I... I want to go home." He put his head in his hands. "Home" referred to Vault 101, where he didn't have to make consequencial decisions.

The statement had shocked Hope, she was once again seeing the human side of him. That he wasn't just a fairytale hero (or, in her case, villain). You could argue that it was her natural, motherly instinct that drove her to caressing his head, or you could say that it was partly due to infatuation. Either way, there they were, head-in-hands. They stared for a bit, and Zack seemed to have regained some of his confidence. He wouldn't back out, as much as he wanted to.

If Zack had been taught History properly in the Vault, this decision may have been easier. But, he was not, and History in the Vault was brief and often inaccurate. It was the same for Hope, Eden didn't wany anyone to make any comparisons between him and, say, Hitler. But Hope's eyes had just been opened to the flaws of the Enclave, and she felt the need to question her leader. Hope had a wonderful sense of sympathy, it was a prized asset for her, but she had never had much of a reason to use this asset. A sleeping giant had been awakened inside of her, and her softheartedness was starting to take control. Hope's benevolence was starting to combat the Enclave for the first time in her life. She didn't have to make the decision that Zack did, but she felt just as afflicted as he.

---------

Eden was in quite a passion, which is a peculiar thing to say about a computer. He had been waiting over two-hundred years for this opportunity. Thinking of all the possibilities he could have made him ecstatic. People often portray Eden as a horrible supervillain, bent on power and destruction. But Eden good intentions. He did want power, yes, but that was to aid America, not for personal gain. Eden did not think of himself, in fact, he is the most selfless character in this story. He had been programmed to be like he was, to be a strict, charismatic president. But, unlike any other machine, he also was capable of experiencing emotion. At least, simulated and limited emotion. Greed, and all other emotions deemed unsuitable for the future president, were omitted. But Eden's central tragedy was his lack of compassion. His creators had predicted that he would have to make tough, impossible decisions, and that he had to do whatever was necessary to "clean up" the post-war dump, even if it seemed to be immoral.

The President could not take his "mind" off of Zack. He imagined replacing Colonel Autumn, who had started to become rather opinionated, with this adept Lone Wanderer. Once he had planted the virus, and things were set in motion, the Enclave's whole attitude towards him would change. He would be a hero, and best of all a role model for them. The new face of the Enclave. Eden loved Zack. He thought of Zack the way a father does right before his son graduates Summa Cum Laude. Zack hadn't done anything yet, and President Eden was already proud of him.

--------

Charlie stood in front of strange, underground paths, debating whether or not to go through, or around them. They definitely weren't pre-war trenches, so it was much more likely that they would encounter something. Did he want to risk it? Yeah, probably. It'd everyones' spirits if they got to shoot at something, and Charlie doubted there was much in the Wastes that could take on his full company. They had run into some Raiders, but being untrained with hardly functioning weapons made them child's play for the mercenaries.

Charlie made up his mind and jumped into the trench, and his group followed. It didn't take very long for them to meet their first Super Mutant. At the sight of the green colossal humanoid, Charlie shouted a charming:

"What the fuck?!"

Now, Charlie's gang wasn't a bunch of uneducated brutes with the motto "shoot first, ask questions later", but if you had suddenly ran into a Super Mutant, your probably would have done exactly what these soldiers did. That is, decorate the wall with its brains.

"What was that thing?" multiple mercenaries started asking.

Charlie walked over to study the leftover carnage. There wasn't much left, and he didn't learn much from it, other than it was poorly equipped, and very thick-skinned.

As they continued to wander the trenches, they ran into a few Mutants, but they were more scattered and easy to take out. It wasn't until they had gotten out of the trenches, and into a big clearing that they witnessed how terrifying these Mutants could get.

Standing there, green and brilliant, was a chained Behemoth. The gargantuan figure was known to make the bravest of men soil themselves. It certainly made the band of mercenaries quiver. Charlie didn't want to engage with it, and was motioning the group to head in another direction, but the Behemoth wasn't having it. It charged at them, light pole in massive hand, with fire in its dull eyes.

"Shit! Fire! Fire!" Charlie barked, but it was an unnecessary command. They had already opened fire, various bullets spraying all along the Mutant's torso. Though the bullets were penetrating, it didn't slow down, it kept on charging, now giving out a furious roar on the way. It reached them in no time, and took a violent swing at Charlie. Luckily for Charlie, he wasn't a deer-in-headlights kind of guy, and Behemoths don't have very good aim. Although he didn't avoid the blow entirely, he was very fortunate, not a bone was broken in his body. His shin was going to have a disgusting bruise the next day.

The Behemoth bawled, partly because of the many bullets that burrowed homes for themselves in his body, and because Charlie was still breathing. The only time any of the armed combatants let go of their triggers was when they were reloading. A Behemoth can only take so much, and eventually, it fell to the ground with a massive thud.

The only problem was, Behemoths were never just running around freely. They always traveled with their smaller, slightly more intelligent brothers. However, after such a fearsome foe like that, the few Mutants left were no comparison.

"God damn, what a day!" a mercenary by the name of Michael shouted in the aftermath of the bloodshed.

* * *

I updated a lot faster than I thought I would, and even though it wasn't that fast, I hope you guys are pleased with me. I really tried to humanize Eden, and it may be confusing to you because he's a computer... but I just wasn't satisfied with him having no emotion or anything like that. People always seem to think Eden is supposed to be a despicable, pure evil antagonist. But here, Eden is more like a delusional good guy. And I tried to make the Lone Wanderer a human, too. I'm afraid he can't be the man that handles everything with ease and saves the day all the time.

I hope it doesn't seem like the Charlie's Angels thing was forced... because it was. At least I got to put some action in! It was short and crappy, but at least someone was doing something other than talking!

It may seem untimely for Hope and Zack to be "falling for each other", but they're not really in love. I think of infatuation as something far, far less than love. It's more like a crush. More will come, though.

I should update relatively soon. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, tell me what you think.


	4. Thanks, but No Thanks

Here's Chapter 4! It's a lot shorter than the others, and not much happens, but it _should _get very interesting after this. I thought I'd have more free time to get this chapter out faster, but apparently not. Oh well, I update faster than most on this site, I think. Enjoy!

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Zack ran his fingers through his hair, it felt strange to him. His hair was usually cut as short as he trusted Wadsworth to cut it. Memories of another robot destroying his birthday cake made him a bit skittish when it came to trusting robots to cut anything. Short hair was less of a hassle to deal with, and it never got in his eyes in inconvenient times. No one could grab a handful of it, either. He hadn't been in his "guest room" for very long, but it had been a while. He let out an exasperated sigh, he was trying not to think about the decision he would have to make sometime in the near future, so he distracted himself with much less pressing matters. It was early in the morning, and he didn't want to wake Hope, so he just sat, alone with his thoughts.

Hope, on the other hand was waiting for him. He had always been the one to summon her, and she didn't feel right just barging in on him. Once she heard his raspy unused morning-voice, she jumped up and went throught the doors.

"How's your hand today?" she asked politely, as if there weren't larger dilemmas to be worrying about.

He held his crooked hand, which was injured from a violent punch to the door in his temporary fit of rage. That seemed so long ago, he was surprised that she had remembered.

"It's healed up very nicely since you patched it up." he said appreciatively. She had a seat on the floor next to him, ready to discuss the more grave topics.

"Have you gotten anywhere?" she asked, hoping that he had made more progress than her.

"Yes, actually. I've been thinking, all night. It's my sense of justice, Hope. I can't do this. I don't want a superior race, I want the human race. There are other ways to help it succeed. Mankind has an _obligation_ to always, always protect the helpless. If we kill innocent people, we're no better than the Super Mutants, there will be no moral ground to stand upon. Where will it end, if I go along with this? What other atrocities will I have to commit against humanity to uphold this... Garden of Eden?" he had worked himself up with such vehemence, he had to pause. Hope made a look that said she wanted him to continue, so he did.

"I'm sure the members of the Enclave are very competent, but, and I mean no offense by this, they're ignorant. Not generally ignorant, and not out of their own consent, but they just don't know about the President, his plans, what's really going on. I've gotten the notion that you have the need-to-know policy to an entirely different degree. On top of that, you're the only person I've met in the Enclave that is actually human. The rest just seem like dogs. Very faithful, loyal dogs, but dogs nonetheless."

Hope couldn't help but agree. They all did follow a very deceptive President, and they were trained not to question, but to serve. It was an easy life, to have someone else call all the shots, but she now knew how simple it is to be taken advantage of when you're so unquestioning.

"I honestly couldn't see the Enclave soldiers rebuilding society." he added "And once you did, would Eden still control you? In my vault, we had an Overseer just like Eden, who had absolute control. When the shit hit the fan, as it always will, there was horrific disarray that nearly resulted in the destruction of the vault. The only way to save the vault was to execute the Overseer. I still think about it to this day, but I have no regrets, it was necessary. I know from experience the peril of totalitarianism. I just wish that I could release all of your minds from Eden's powerful grip. Imagine, the Enclave and Wastelanders working together! That's what this country needs."

"But it won't."

"It won't." he agreed sadly "You don't suppose we could expose Eden's secret?"

Hope could almost laugh at this "You think anyone would believe us over him? I wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't heard it all myself. I'm still trying to cope with this lack of trust in him. He was my idol. You've come and flipped my entire life upside down, but now my eyes are open. I'm starting to agree with you, Zack. This FEV, it can't be right, you can tell just from the name. My mind is still fighting to accept Eden's ideas, but I can't. I only wish that the Enclave and the mutated Wastelanders could coexist, but I don't see how that could possibly happen."

Zack had a dejected look on his face as he stared forward into space. Again, he was a trapped animal, having to play by Eden's rules

"It looks like my options have stayed the same. Escape, or see Eden. How about we elope, Hope?"

She gave him a look of fear, and hesitated before answering.

"Zack I can't leave. I've dedicated my whole life to this organization. We can pull it together, Eden is brilliant. I'm sure he can fix everything if-"

"Is that what you truly think?" he asked in a critical voice.

She froze, not prepared for him to question her belief, and she was forced to actually think about what she was saying.

"Y-yes," she replied weakly.

He stared at her with a twinkle in his boyish blue eyes, an action that confused her. She thought he would argue with her, and be angry, but it was quite the opposite. It was adoration, not for Hope herself, but for her loyalty. Though he wished she had consented to try to escape, he respected her faithfulness. Even though they both knew that Eden was twisted, she tried to defend him, rather than count him out. He was still proud of the fact that she was in fact able to see Eden's flaws.

"What?" she asked annoyedly.

"Nothing," his amusement revealed with his voice. "But that doesn't help with getting out of this predicament. I don't think anything we say now will. I suppose I can talk to Eden tomorrow, to see if there are any compromises, but for now, let's talk about more pleasant things, shall we?"

------------

The men and women of Charlie's Angels continued their laborous journey seeking civilization. They had a few more dangerous encounters with some Super Mutants, but nothing a few stimpacks couldn't fix. In fact, the trip was starting to become bland again. That is, until they stumbled upon a queer rocky outcrop. Once they ventured closer, a member noticed a figure, clad in thick Tesla Armor. She meant to alert the group, but the stranger saw them first. A few laser blasts and some burning flesh later, everyone was aware of the armored soldier. A few other Enclave soldiers joined in on the fight, but there weren't many guarding the exteriors of the base. Those that were had been ordered to shoot everything that didn't have the Enclave seal on sight. Which was one of the many reasons the Enclave traveled mostly by vertibirds.

Though the Enclave soldiers had more advanced weaponry, they were grossly outnumbered, and Charlie's Angels didn't mess around. They may not have had top-of-the-line technology, but they were damn good scavengers, and repairmen. All of their weapons were the best they could get their hands on, and it was enough to take down the three soldiers. The battle didn't come without consequence, and two of the mercenaries had been seriously injured. Their wounds actually smoked, and the mercs that were deemed the medics scrambled to the wounded. Their skin had been scorched in the damaged areas. There was little to do with the resources they had, so their only option was use tepid water to clean the burns. They proceeded to wrap cloth around scalds, and advised the victims to not pick at any blisters. While this was happening, Charlie and the other unoccupied mercenaries wandered over to their fallen enemies' bodies. They discovered the excellent arms the soldiers had been wielding, and tried to analyze them. They decided to add the weapons to their arsenal, and moved on to the armor.

They couldn't even remove the armor, much less try to use it. After a while, they gave up, figuring their own armor would suffice. While investigated the carcasses, they noticed a large, metal door leading into the offshoot. Inferring that it was a base of some sort, they headed back to the platoon to impart their newfound knowledge, and to strategize. Charlie wasn't the only one trying to decide the best course of action, he allowed every member to express their opinion. They were trying to decide whether or not they should infiltrate the station, or to hightail.

Interestingly, nearly all of the soldiers expressed a desire to invade, regardless of the dangers. They were an adventurous lot, and after the Laser Rifles were presented to them, they were excited to discover what other technology the headquarters had harbored. Of course, the opposing sides' concerns were hazards, uncertainty, time consumption, and depletion of their ammo supply.

Majority rules with Charlie's Angels, and they soon began formulating a plan of action.

------------

"How nice to see you again! Have you made your decision?" Eden cried upon seeing Zack. Hope had taken her position on the stairs where she could hear Eden, but remain unseen.

"Yes."

"And you have chosen the virtuous verdict?"

"I have."

"Very good, Mr. Valerico!" Eden exclaimed, elated beyond belief.

Gathering his wits, Zack took a breath and looked straight at Eden. Somehow, he still had a cocksure air to him, despite the bad news he was about to bring Eden.

"I'm afraid that you may not be pleased with my selection. I cannot murder all of those people."

"What did you just say?" Eden asked wearily.

"I didn't stutter."

"I... I see. I must say, I'm deeply disappointed in you. You were meant for great things. Are you certain you want to decline my generous offer, knowing full well that the consequences of such an ungrateful mistake will indubitably end in death?"

"I am."

"Right then, you will be executed tomorrow, when I see fit to it. Until then, you can always change your mind, you know."

"Why won't you kill me now?"

"You are dismissed."

Zack gave him one last look, a cold glare, and left.

He didn't want to end Zack's life. He had thought of Zack as a precious gem, something that even the Enclave could not forge. It wasn't as if Zack was the only one who could insert the FEV virus into the purifier, he may have been the only living being to know the code, but they could certainly guess it. But Eden wanted Zack to be his right hand man, if he would infect the purifier, Eden could trust him. Eventually, Eden wanted Zack to take over the Enclave entirely. The new world could have used a figurehead they could physically see, and it was about time for him to retire. But, if Zack would not comply on his own accord, he couldn't force him to.

When Hope and Zack returned to the cell, a short, uncomfortable silence greeted them. What could they possibly say?

"I...I'm sorry."

Zack scoffed at the anemic apology, "Save it. As far as I'm concerned, _you're_ my executioner. Surely, you put your unfaltering support into whatever your cherished godhead decrees! It's laughable, how asinine you all are. How, dear Hope, do you _still_ mistake a _machine_ for Divinity? You would kill thousands, just to please a slick voice armed with pretty words!"

Hope did not break out and cry, or even flinch at the outrage. She didn't feel resentment, or a need to be defensive. She couldn't blame Zack for his behavior, and knew him better than to think he meant it all. She talked to him softly, and patiently, trying to make her voice comforting.

"No, I wouldn't. Why would you say that?"

She couldn't have chosen better words to say, as Zack immediately calmed. His animosity dissolved into dejection, and it was his turn to atone. He did not apologize verbally, but instead fell to the ground and let her join him. It was almost a facsimile of the moment they had after Eden's proposition.

"I don't want to die, Hope." he confided quietly.

She looked at the greatest man she had ever met, and whispered "I know,"

--------------------

Not a lot happens here, and yeah, it was really just to set up Chapter 5, but I'll try to make up for it. It's football season though, and between playing football, watching football, and fantasy football, I'm hard-pressed for time. Yeah, I'm fanatical.

Oh, and Mizzou won last week! We CRUSHED Illinois, as usual. I'm proud to say I was able to attend that game. Today, we're about to beat the tar out of Bowling Green! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just know that Mizzou is the most important thing in life. And the kansas jayhawks are the lowest scum of the earth (never capitalize kansas, or jayhawks).


	5. To the Rescue

WARNING: The actual Raven Rock in the game is slightly different from the one in this story. Same idea, but everything is in a different place.

Charlie's Angels had been strategizing for the past few hours. Their plan was relatively simple, get in, snag as much technology and information as possible, and then hopefully leave. Getting in was their first priority, and they definitely weren't getting in through the door the Enclave soldiers had come out. That door was sealed shut, and it was a 25 ton blast door. They had plenty of explosives, but they weren't getting in without alerting the entire base. Not to mention the door had been built to withstand up to a 30 megaton blast within two kilometers. Instead, they were going to go through the sewers.

They had sent a scout to investigate, and he had found a stream that had a tunnel, which lead into the mountain. They went through the tunnel, and of course the way was barred. They had come equipped with some plastic explosives, which were very useful. It didn't take much to knock out the bars enough so that they could get passed. They had to go through the sewage, wary of the mines that had been placed on the dry concrete. The Enclave did a lousy job defending this area, they didn't even make an attempt to hide the mines. They thought that isolation was a good enough defense, but they couldn't have been more wrong. They hadn't run into a single threat throughout the whole expedition in the sewer.

It wasn't until they had climbed up the ladder and through the entrance that they ran into the Enclave. It was a soldier decked out in Tesla Armor, and he stared in shock for a second, but then reached for his rifle, but he already knew he was dead. They definitely had the element of surprise, but they couldn't refrain from making noise, a lot of the soldiers were bored and decided to go check to see what the racket was, only to be mowed down by mercenaries.

Tank had the most success out of the group, but that was only natural considering his weapon could just eat through any sort of armor. He was just like Brick of Reilly's Rangers, a minigun toting meat-head who deserved his title. Tank wasn't his real name, but everyone agreed that it was fitting, so that's what they called him. He was a brute, and he loved his guns. Tank was a bit hard of hearing, as he fired a lot, but didn't always remember to wear his earmuffs. This resulted in him not always hearing Charlie's orders, and doing his own thing altogether at times, but he had survived each time, showing that he was capable. People felt a great deal safer with him around.

They had all been amazed at the interior of Raven Rock, but didn't slow down to gawk. They hurried through the halls, keeping an eye for something worthwile. At first, they only had to worry about attacks from the front, but then they were ambushed from behind, and some of the men were speckled with holes before dropping to the ground. There wasn't any time to mourn the loss of their fallen, and they had to keep moving, but this time, paying more attention to the rear.

-----------

Hope and Zack were of course together, Hope wouldn't allow Zack to be alone for his last hours. Even though she knew she was just making it harder, she stayed. It seemed every moment she spent with him, she became less and less confident in the Enclave. In the future, when Zack was dead, some of this assurance may resurface, but not all. The damage had been done, and she would never be the same emotionless robot as before. Hope did her best to make him feel as good as he possibly could, and that just involved listening to what he had to say.

He talked about his short life, starting with good old Vault 101. You could tell that he missed that place like hell, especially his Father and best friend, Amata. She felt a twinge of guilt, remembering that she was apart of the organization that took James's life. Zack didn't throw any accusations at her though, and just continued.

"You know, I've asked myself that 'What would you do if you knew you only had one day to live?' question before. I had been planning on doing something glorious and reckless, not sitting in a cell, sharing my life story. Oh, how I've fallen from grace. It must be the Valerico curse, we have our moment of heroism, only to be knocked off our podium before we achieve our goals. I guess Project Purity just isn't meant to be. I've never really believed in God, but now I think I do. And I think that He means to wipe us all out, Hope. I think He wanted to ever since that damned war, but we're just too stubborn. We won't go down without a fight, but sooner or later it comes down to fate. It's hard to beat divine intervention, real hard."

Hope ran her fingers through his hair, which made him smile. It felt real good, and it reminded him of his dear father, who would do the same thing when he was a child. He had been thinking about James too much lately, and it made him depressed. It was hard to think of his father without having the image in his head of James's last seconds, where he was falling over himself, and was looking so weak. Clumps of his hair were falling out, and he had a dribble of a mixture of blood and vomit trickling down his chin. The most horrifying part was the seizure. He had fallen to the ground, and was violently flailing there, his mind as blank as an infant's. Eventually, the movement died down to frantic spasms, until he laid motionless. Zack had never seen his dad look so vulnerable, it wasn't the James he had been used to. He wasn't the man who could solve Zack's problems with a hug or a talk, he was just a slab of meat on the ground, laying in his own waste. Zack squeezed his eyes shut, but even he could not fence in the tears that escaped his eyes. Seeing him like this made Hope wonder how so many of her "brothers" could think of him as a destructive scourge.

They had been in the same position when the alarms sounded, and when they heard, they suddenly froze. At first, they didn't know what it was, too absorbed in their own world. When the echoing voice gave the command for all units to suit up and head to sector 4B, and to be prepared for gunfire, Hope jumped up.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the prisoner?" Zack asked with a bit of hope.

"Usually... but the announcement called for _all_ units, and I'm not so sure your safety is a huge priority anymore." When duty called, it was hard for Hope to get rid of her matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes, I realize that, but shouldn't you want to prevent me from being captured? I imagine I've been quite the thorn in the Enclave's side, and it wouldn't be advantageous to let me go off, would it?"

"You think the Enclave let your little Brotherhood friends find us? I doubt that."

"Don't underestimate the enemy," he advised. It was his only argument, but the gleam and his eye pleaded her to stay. She couldn't resist it.

"I suppose I wouldn't make much of a difference," Hope gave in.

-------

"God dammit," Charlie cursed "Looks like they're on to us. We need to find a room to take cover in, where's Daniel? Daniel! I'm going to need you to blow a door off, alright?"

"Yes, sir! I've got just the thing, even these sturdy doors won't stand up to this!"

They weren't doing as well as they had hoped, but they were far from out. If they found a room, not only could they plant explosives at the entrance, but anyone who passed could easily be eliminated, and no matter how many of them there were, only so much could fit through the narrow space. Plus, they could stop and check out all of the new gear they had collected. It was mostly just the various guns scavenged from dead corpses, but they did come across some other supplies.

As they charged further into the base, Charlie found the perfect room to set up shop. It was a cell, and it wasn't as if prisoners were ever armed. They didn't have to worry about any sort of ambush. Charlie called for Daniel, and gave him the order. Daniel had plenty C-4 left, and stuck it on the door. He inserted the detonators into it, feeling a bit of a thrill. The rest of the Angels were already a safe distance from the door, and he walked to join them. After the satisfying explosion, they waited a while before going near the site. They entered the cell, only to find that they'd have to blast another door, but before Daniel even got to set up some more C-4, the door slid open.

-------

The explosion scared Hope, and even Zack jumped. It sounded pretty close. They stood still for a moment, then gave each other looks. Zack walked up to the door, very curious as to what was going on.

"Open it," he said, referring to the door.

It may have seemed like a very unwise thing to do, but Hope complied, reluctantly. She would have told him not to run off if she felt it would have done her any good. If he did escape, she'd have to use the chaos as an excuse. She moved to the door, and placed her right boot in a specific spot on the floor, and the door opened. It was fancy tech, not very integral, but it definitely gave an air of importance to everyone who could use it. The officers' boots were the only ones who could trigger the door to open, of course.

Once the door opened, Hope stood face-to-face with a borderline pyromaniac.

"Whoa!" Daniel shouted, hopping back. Before Hope could react, there were over a dozen firearms pointed in her direction. She put her hands up without a word, hoping the frightened look in her eyes would keep them from literally jumping the gun.

"Step back, and keep your hands above your head." Charlie demanded. Hope willingly retreated, revealing Zack to the group, which shifted about half of the guns to his direction. His hands were already up, and he gave an unsure smile to his new captors.

"Tank, Paige, you keep an eye on those two, I'll help you out. Daniel, go set up some _distractions_for any possible enemies. Brady, Tyrone, Cam, and Braelyn, you all attend to the new equipment. Everyone else, focus your weapons on the doorway."

The leader turned to Hope and Zack, looking at them carefully.

"Do you know anything about this place?"

The duo stared at him in disbelief, until he shot them a look. Zack stood up to the plate.

"She may know more than me, but this is an Enclave base. Raven Rock is the name, I'm not sure if it's the main HQ or not. All I know, is that you should leave now while the chance. You may be able to get pretty far when you're only facing surprised soldiers, but once they bring in the big guns, you're toast."

"Who are you?"

"Zackary Valerico. I'm a prisoner here, I was captured days ago. I'm supposed to be executed today."

Though Charlie didn't seem satisfied with that answer, he moved on.

"And her?" he asked, gesturing towards Hope.

"I'm an officer here, guarding him." she replied defiantly. Her voice shook a little, but seeing as her words could bring her death, it was to be expected.

Charlie was obviously impressed by her honesty. His companions gave him questioning looks, wondering if he'd be pleased if they just offed her now.

"It takes some gall to admit you're the enemy in this sort of situation. I'll let you live, for now. Make sure she's not armed. Zackary, I'd still like to hear from you."

Tank and Paige attended to Hope, meticulously searching her for any weapons.

"Tell me about this 'Enclave', Zackary."

"It's supposed to be the remnants of the U.S. government, but it's very different from what you'd expect. They're led by a computer, but don't know it. He convinces them that they're helping the people, but he has a more insidious wants to wipe out all of the people affected by radiation, so that he could have a 'clean slate' to start rebuilding the human race again-"

"While that's interesting and all, there are other things I want to know. Something that could help us in our current situation." Charlie interjected.

"Certainly. You've seen some of their tech, probably noticed how thick the Power Armor is. They mostly just use plasma and laser weapons, which can incinerate just about you've only had contact with the grunts here, you haven't seen what they're capable of. If we turn out to be too much of a threat, they'll just nuke us. Again, if you want to survive, you'll have to move out as soon as you can."

This seemed to frustrate Charlie, he didn't feel like they had collected enough gear. "What about the technology they have here? We're trying to get everything we can, but we haven't done as well as I had anticipated. Do you have any idea how to get the armor off of these bastards?"

Zack grinned, he did know, in fact, he'd worn Tesla Armor before. "Yes, I can teach you how to wear it, too. Most of the tech they have here isn't very practical to use in the wastes, but if you find any ammo crates, you'll be pleasantly surprised, they've been filled to the brim with all sorts of toys. Unfortunately, you have to know the code to open them. Luckily there's one uniform code for all of the crates. Hope, the officer, should know it. I'm sure with some convincing she'll give it to you."

Charlie had always been a very trusting person, not quite gullible, but pretty close. Something about this kid just gave him a good feeling. "Sounds like a plan, I'm taking your word for all of this. I'm sure you know the consequence for letting me down. Everyone! Get ready to leave, same way we came in! Tank, go get Daniel. Keep these two under surveillance, especially the woman. If you spot any large crates, you tell me!"

Charlie turned his attention to Hope, "If you follow all of my orders, your life will be spared, is that clear? Good, now tell me the code to the ammo crates,"

Hope hesitated, but his steady gaze was awfully persuading.

"2-2-7-5," she answered, losing some of her dignity.

Charlie smiled at her, but it soon vanished, replaced by an expressionless face. Tank had returned with Daniel, and they were ready to go. Zack and Hope were near the back of the pack, but there were two soldiers behind them, watching intently. Hope looked pale, she didn't feel like her life was in danger, but she was going to leave Raven Rock. She was a traitor.

They had come across some ammo crates, and once they were opened, a look of pure glee was plastered on their faces. They had all sorts of weapons, grenades, and of course, ammo. It had that futuristic, sleek look to it that you'd expect from Enclave equipment. They took as much as they could carry, but were very selective. They even found some new medical supplies in a first-aid box. Once they heard a loud blast behind them, they knew that they had to pick up the pace, the Enclave had gotten Daniel's little presents.

Once they had made it far enough, Charlie ordered Zack to remove some soldiers' armor. He obeyed, and held the surprisingly lightweight armor up for Charlie. He then gave Charlie simple instructions to wear the armor. Charlie relaxed for ten seconds, then was able to slowly move. He wasn't as mobile as more experienced soldiers with the armor on, but it was a good start. Not every merc was able to get decked out quick enough, and they ran into some oppression. Sentry bots. No wonder it took them so long, they weren't the quickest robots around, but they sure were brutal. The first thing it did was shoot a missile in the middle of the group. Most of them were able to move away, except for a man who had just donned the armor. He was blasted to smithereens, and the charred remains of his armor shot into the side of a mercenary's face, but he didn't feel a thing, the numbness of an adrenaline rush already sinking in. Everyone started to fire at it, even Zack was able to pick up a discarded laser rifle and join in the fight. Hope simply stood still, not knowing what to do. Sentry bots didn't go down easily, you nearly had to blow off every piece of their metallic body. It wasn't long before the Sentry had burnt a hole through the chest of another merc. Daniel, with his mind always on explosions, was the one to throw one of his new grenades at the killer robot. It was enough, and the Sentry Bot was reduced to a useless pile of hot scrap metal. The air was thick with that burning smell, and the ex-robot was steaming. Zack intelligently dropped his weapon to get rid of the alarmed look on the group's face.

"We'd better leave before we run into another one of those." Zack suggested, stating the obvious.

No one argued with that, at the time not minding the fact that the convict had an authoritative tone. They didn't stop for anymore armor or anything, moving at the fastest pace they possibly could keep. They made it out without further conflict. They did, however, all leave with the rancid smell of the sewers, having to wade through the sewage again. Once they made it out, they continued to migrate away from the base, until they had decided they made it a safe distance. They took a rest, and took the time to interrogate their new assets.

"Now you can give me a more in-depth explaination of the Enclave, Zackary. I'd also like to hear your side of the story, Hope." the leader told them.

Zack filled him in on the Enclave, doing his best to keep it somewhat short and as detailed as possible. He mostly focused on the soldiers, and the Brotherhood fighting against them, rather than Eden. The whole Eden situation was a bit much, and he wasn't sure if Charlie would believe him. Hope gave a more biased description, trying to justify their actions. She did admit that she now wasn't positive that every decision they made was the right one, but she refused to talk against them any more. She was still an officer of the Enclave. She was obviously badly shaken up, and they all gave her a break.

Once they were done with their story-telling, Charlie asked Zack if he knew of a place they should go.

"Yes! The Citadel!" He responded eagerly, "We must go there, they can help with the whole G.E.C.K. issue!" when Charlie gave him a quizzical look, he smiled sheepishly "Oh, I suppose I didn't tell you about that. I'll have to fill you in about it on our way, but I don't know the way from where we are. Hope, do you know what part of D.C. we're in?"

"We're pretty far to the Northwest side... a few miles north of the Canterbury Commons." she replied, but she didn't like the idea of going to the Citadel.

Zack checked his Pip-Boy, he hadn't been there, but he had it marked on his map.

"Damn, that's kind of far. We can make it relatively soon if we hurry."

"Slow down there. You're not the one calling the shots. We're not here just to help you, what would _we_ want with the Citadel?"

Zack smiled, the Citadel was the perfect place for this bunch, "Well, they're like the Enclave, but they don't shoot people on sight, and are much more negotiable. Personally, I prefer their power armor over the Enclave's, and you'll definitely have access to it after saving me. God knows what they'd let you have if you helped us get the G.E.C.K., but it would be worth your while. Worst comes to worst, you'd at least get some information about this side of Hell."

Charlie liked the sound of that, but was still a little skeptical. "We'd get something for saving you? Why? What rank are you in this Brotherhood?"

_Uh oh,_ Zack thought, he didn't really have a rank, but he supposed he could bluff a little. By the time they found out the truth, he'd be safe.

"I'm Colonel Valerico, part of the Lyon's Pride, the most elite force in D.C.." he said with a panache. Hope kept quiet, even though she caught his lie.

Charlie laughed, "Some colonel, how'd you get captured?"

"Hey, not everyone's perfect. I'm not used to fighting without my Pride. They weren't available at the time, and I had to get that G.E.C.K. quickly. They gave me the best team, but Super Mutants can be bitches."

"Super Mutants?"

"You haven't met the uglies? You're damn lucky, they're these big, green monsters that-"

"Oh, we've met them. Didn't know the name. I can believe they were able to wipe out a team, even led by someone as high ranking as a colonel. Alright, we'll go to your Citadel, but they better hook us up. We lost more men than I want to think about back in that base. I'm still not entirely convinced you're who you say you are, though."

"You know, since they have doubts about your abilities, you could just turn on your Pip-Boy's radio. No doubt your beloved Three Dog is bawling about your absence." Hope suggested.

"Great idea! I'm getting a little signal, listen to this."

He turned on the radio, and through some of the static you could hear a bit of music. Zack frowned, a little surprised that the DJ wasn't spouting off about his escapades. He knew he would, and sure enough, after the song they could hear his deep, strong voice. He didn't waste any time with his annoying howls or impersonations of his rival radio station.

_"News time, boys and girls! It looks like there's no more sign of our favorite vaultie, and the BOS is gettin' a bit restless. If I were your average, cupcake optimist, I'd say not to worry, that he'd make it out somehow, but I'm not. I'm here to bring you the truth, and the truth is we're screwed. Chances are, Mr. 101 is gone, or worse, still hanging with those Enclave quacks. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothin' but hope that Zackie boy is alive, but _come on_! He hasn't shown up for days, and it's not like him to be late when there's work to be done,"_

Three Dog started talking about some other, less relevant things, and Zack turned it off.

"Well, it does look like you have quite the reputation. Having you as an ally could prove to be quite helpful. I'm afraid I can't allow you to be armed for now, I simply don't know you well enough. I'm sure you'll gain my trust in due time." Charlie said, clearly impressed. Zack nodded, understanding completely. "I'd like you to update me a bit more about this region, and tell me all about that gecko thing you were talking about earlier. I hope you're good at walking and talking."

* * *

This chapter was quite fun to write. I understand that this is a very unbelievable installment, it's hard to think that some of this could ever happen. I probably should have researched a couple of things, but I've never been overly fond of research. It'd make me feel like I was doing a project for school, and that's never any fun. I hope you guys were able to stand some of the more unrealistic parts. It was kind of like a James Bond type of thing, Charlie's Angels _miraculously_ came at just the right time, before Zack was executed. Also, they were able to take on the whole base, but I did have some reasoning with that. I figured that the Enclave never really expected anyone to attack Raven Rock since it's in such a secluded spot, so they didn't really go over how to defend it. Also, I'm not all that familiar with explosives, but I thought it was pretty good in that department, as long as you don't ask me how they came across some C-4. It's possible! I just hope you guys realize that this is casual writing, it's not meant to be a published book or anything.

I came _this_close to killing Hope off in this chapter, but I couldn't do it. I like her too much. It should be interesting to see how the Brotherhood reacts to meeting her. Maybe I'll still have a chance to kill her!

You may have noticed that I changed the geography of the Capital Wasteland. Canterbury Commons is now just south of Raven Rock, and I may make more changes, to make things a bit more convienient.

I know it's been a while since I've updated again. As always, I'm busy, but I also lost some motivation. I don't know why, I just didn't feel like working on it. Probably a mixture of exhaustion and my other Fallout story.

Mizzou won again! We _**ANNIHILATED **_Furman (52-12)! In fact, I finished this story on the way back from the game

Thank you for reading, please review, and have a nice weekend!


	6. No Rest for the Weary

Zack looked around him for about the fiftieth time that day, admiring the Wasteland. It may sound strange, but he always loved the scenery. It was so open, he could venture left or right if he wanted, he didn't have to follow the straight path of a hallway. The smell was great, too, so comforting compared to what he grew up with. The vault smelled too clean, too unnatural, like harsh cleaning products. It was a shame Zack didn't have time to appreciate this for long, he was still with Charlie's group and had to get moving. They had made good progress, like he had hoped, and were close to the Citadel. Today, they mostly walked in an alert silence. Zack and Hope had told Charlie all that he wanted to know, and he obviously didn't feel like talking more than he had to.

While their journey didn't go completely without conflict, it was uncharacteristically sedate, for a while. The few wastelanders they ran into had scuttled off like mice upon seeing a large, heavily armed cartel. In their hurry to the ruins of the Pentagon, they had forgotten that members of the pack sported the armor of their common enemy. That can't end well.

They were hardly a mile away from the Citadel when they ran into a couple Knights. The familiar sight made Hope cringe and Zack ecstatic. He started to run to them, waving his arm and shouting.

One of the Knights squinted underneath his helmet, trying to decipher the figure running towards them.

_Who the hell is that?_

But then, something else caught his attention. A group partially clad in Enclave armor, and an officer. He and his partner had both noticed it, and reached for their weapons. They were outnumbered, and if they couldn't find a decent place to take cover, they'd have to run for it. They forgot about Zack, and as soon as he saw one reaching for his weapon, he realized his mistake.

He should have told everyone to take off their Enclave armor once they had gotten within a few miles of the Citadel. Sometimes, he was absent-minded, and common sense wasn't his strong suit all the time. But he was a quick thinker, and tackled one of the soldiers once had made it to him. It was a painful tackle, too, for Zack. Slamming into solid metal hurts, even when you succeed in knocking it down.

The victim's partner was taken off guard, but he directed his gun to Zack's head. If Zack had looked at all like a threat to the men in Power Armor, it would have been blown off, but it wasn't like the Brotherhood to shoot unarmed wastelanders.

"W-what the hell was that!?"

"Don't shoot! Put your gun away!" Zack cried.

"Get out of here!" the other Knight yelled, "The Encla-"

"That's not the Enclave! Wait a second, will you?" Zack interrupted, then stood up. "Look at me, it's Zack. You know, the 'Lone Wanderer'?"

The Knights barely even glanced at him before looking back up at the threatening syndicate. Charlie had ordered everyone to stay still, thinking he knew what was going on.

"Look at me!" Zack barked, so viciously, that their heads snapped back to him.

He _did_ look like the Lone Wanderer. They had only gotten glances at him, but they knew he was missing. They were nervous, not sure what they should do. Both of them had just graduated from Initiate to Knights, they didn't have the confidence that veterans had.

"Again I'll tell you, they're not Enclave soldiers. They saved my life, and I taught them to wear it. I'll go and have them remove it. We're on our way to the Citadel, don't aim your weapons at them. If you don't feel comfortable just letting us pass, you may tag along, but don't slow us down. The men back there are very dangerous." Zack left them before they could respond, he was adept at being assertive, and it was hard to disobey him when he was like this.

"You're going to have to take off your armor if you want to avoid having a firefight with the Brotherhood. You can carry it to a place you think you'll remember it, but once the Citadel is in sight, you're going to have to ditch it." Zack informed Charlie. It was apparent the two Knight weren't coming along. They'd probably just pretend nothing happened.

"We should have done that ages ago." Charlie scolded.

"I know, I know. It was careless. It won't happen again."

They departed with their new armor reluctantly, but knew it was necessary. Hope didn't take anything off, and Zack didn't feel she needed to, she may get glances, but as long as she was with him she would be fine. The trip to the Citadel was easier for them after that, and they made it in no time.

When Paladin Bael and the others guarding the entrance spotted everyone coming towards him, he was a bit anxious. Once he recognized Zack, he was significantly relieved.

"Zack! It's you! What happened? I thought you were gone!" the Paladin must have forgotten that he had a slight dislike for Zack in his excitement.

Zack laughed at the paladin's eagerness, "Oh, I'm sure you'll hear all about it soon enough, but I need to speak with the Lyons, ASAP."

"Of course, come in. Are you certain the company you have brought is..." his voice trailed off.

"They're fine."

They entered the huge door to the Citadel and everyone glanced at them as they walked passed, heading towards the council room. Gunny didn't even yell at the ogling Initiates. They arrived at their destination, but the room was empty. They didn't have meetings all the time. Zack led them all through the hallways until he ran into Owyn Lyons.

"Dear God, is that you, Zack? You've brought some friends, I see." Elder Lyons welcomed him with a kind smile.

"That's right, can you call a council? I need to talk to everyone."

"Absolutely. I'll summon them to the room immediately. Then, we'll make our way. I eagerly await your story."

With all of the members of council (which included the Lyon's Pride, Owyn, and some renowned scribes) and Zack's posse in the small room, it was crowded. Most of the people were in before Zack, and when he arrived he was greeted with a bunch of stupefied stares. Sarah was the first to speak, and oddly didn't hide her delight.

"You're alive?! Where have you been?!" As soon as she said that, more people started bombarding him with questions.

"Whoa, everyone! Breathe! If you all stop asking questions, maybe I can answer a few." Zack put up his hands as if to shield himself from their queries.

"Go on." Elder Lyons urged.

Zack gave everyone a recap of what happened. He told them about getting the G.E.C.K., and how he lost it. He didn't go into much detail about staying at Raven Rock, and he didn't tell them that Hope was the officer who took care of him just then. He could hear their silent applause when he told them about refusing Eden's offer, even when it meant death. They were all impressed when they learned that Charlie and his mercenaries were able to save him without suffering horrendous casualties. It was again their turn to ask the remaining questions they already had.

"Where is the G.E.C.K. now?" Scribe Rothchild inquired.

"At the Jefferson Memorial, they're trying to get the code. We have to go there to take it back. We can't allow them to infect the water."

Everyone agreed with this, but they weren't quite satisfied.

"Excuse me for asking this, but who is this woman in the Enclave officer suit?" Knight Captain Colvin asked in his usual polite manner.

"That would be Hope. The situation with her is a bit... complicated. Um, she attended to me while I was a prisoner. While she is a member of the Enclave, she doesn't mean us harm, and she has learned about Eden. Hope does not support his decision to infect all impure wastelanders. She's just like us, she wants to help the Capital Wasteland as much as she can." then he added, with a little more fierceness "None of you better lay a hand on her just for her background."

A deafening silence followed his short outburst, until Elder Lyons decided to break it.

"We will respect your wishes, as always. Though I can't say the same for everyone, perhaps she should wear more agreeable attire." he suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Will someone attend to her now, please?"

The Elder nodded at a scribe, who quickly took Hope out of the room.

"Charlie? I'd like it if I could talk to you and your infantry. We owe you a great deal for bringing Zack back, and in one piece."

"I was hoping we would get a chance to." Charlie replied.

"I don't think you guys need me to be here for that. I need to go wash and rest a bit, I'll see you soon." Zack said, and headed out.

Elder Lyons nodded, "Everyone who is not affiliated with Charlie is dismissed. It's not a private matter, but I'm sure you all have better things to do."

Sentinel Lyons quickly left to catch up with Zack, sure he could find the time to talk to her. When he noticed her, he stopped so she could walk beside him.

"Hey," he smiled.

"I can't believe you're still alive. How do you do it? You've made it through too many incredible situations. I'm jealous."

"With a sobriquet like 'the Lone Wanderer' you know I've got to be pretty extraordinary!" he joked.

"Yes, but you don't also have to be a smug egomaniac." her facetious retort caught him of guard. Sarah didn't participate in any sort of banter often, she must be really happy to see him. He was flattered.

"Don't act like you didn't miss my _sanguine_ nature." he always put special emphasis on the complicated words, like he wanted you to know he was articulate.

Suddenly, she was her normal, serious self again. "We all missed you, very much. We were so worried that, not only did you die, but that the G.E.C.K. had fallen into the wrong hands. It did, so naturally, we're going to have to get it back. I want to talk about that. I have a feeling we'll be storming the Jefferson Memorial, do you think that your friends will be able to help us?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. They seem like good enough people, but I don't know them well. We shouldn't give them vital roles if they agree to help, but they would provide some serious manpower. We'll have to make it worthwhile for them, they're mercenaries, so we could help get their name out there for people, and of course provide all sorts of supplies. They seem to take a keen interest on new technology, so we could woo them with that. I wouldn't worry about them."

"It's good that you're not being too trusting with them, just because they saved you. It seems you've been developing some leadership qualities." Now she's complimenting him? Maybe he should leave more often. "Which is why I have a feeling that you may be accompanying me and the Pride on this mission. If you're up to it."

His eyes lit up, "You mean, I could be a member of the Lyon's Pride?" he asked hopefully. It wasn't that he was bedazzled by the Pride's illustrious reputation, but if he were in the Pride, he'd actually be apart of something. His entire life, he had never really belonged to anything. He hadn't really had a chance to, there was only one gang in the vault, and he had never been asked to become a Brotherhood Knight or Paladin. It was strange to him, he worked alongside them and upheld their beliefs, but he was always a separate entity. He wasn't called the _Lone_ Wanderer for nothing. In truth, he had always felt very lonely, but was too busy to address the feeling.

"Sure." she said like it was no big deal, "I'm not making any promises, as I still have to go over it with Elder Lyons, but I doubt anyone will object. My only concern is that your inexperience will slow us down." although this sounded like a cold thing to say, they both knew she didn't mean it.

He grinned, "My inexperience should be the least of your worries, I think that big head of yours will be a bigger problem, always getting in the way."

She gave him a curt smile, not allowing herself to be baited. "Oh, there was one more thing I meant to ask. While listening to your story, I couldn't help but wonder why you didn't just say that you'd infect the purifier, but then simply doing the opposite. What was your reasoning behind this?"

He stared at her for a moment, before his face twisted into a look of shameful embarrassment.

"N-no reasoning. I just didn't think..."

"Oh." was all she could say, regretting her question. This was no time for him to be second guessing himself.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." she told him sternly, "Everyone makes those types of mistakes, people overlook things, it's our nature. Just learn from it and move on."

"You're right. Thanks. I'm sure you're just reeling from the stench I've accumulated, so I had better go wash up. I'll see you later, Sarah."

"Goodbye, Zack." hearing him say her first name always startled her a bit. She wasn't used to hearing it, it was always Sentinel Lyons. She liked it, she thought she had a nice name.

Once Zack had cleaned up, he walked around, looking for Hope. He found her in a bunker all alone. She was unharmed, but she looked cheerless. He supposed that wasn't a surprise, this was probably the last place she wanted to be.

"Hey, Hope."

"Hello." she said without looking at him.

"You're alright?"

"Not really."

"Well, tell me about it." he said, trying to coax her into talking.

"I'm sure you know what this is all about. I was taken away from my home days ago, and now I'm surrounded by people I had once thought to be poison to the Wasteland. I can tell that I'm not wanted here, I don't understand why you're so adamant keeping me alive, I doubt it's a very popular decision among your peers." her voice sounded accusing.

"I'm sorry for taking you, but I didn't want to kill you. It's possible that I'll be the one to eradicate much of the Enclave... and who knows, maybe you could have been apart of it. You shouldn't die, you're not a bad person. I'm sure there are a lot of people in the Enclave that are just like you, but I can't save all of them. As for the popularity, I couldn't care less. They wouldn't dare hurt you.

"Listen, I know you're not very fond of the Brotherhood, but please, give them a chance. Don't just write them off. Remember, they're just like you. Look at us, we were both at opposite ends when we met, but now I like to think we've come to some sort of compromise. If I can befriend an Enclave officer, I'm sure you can get along just fine with someone here."

"I see where you're coming from, and I agree with you to some extent, but you must not have seen the stares I received when they learned what I was. Though I'm sure they wouldn't disobey you, I doubt they want to socialize with me, or even look at me."

"Hm, well, that may be true for some, but definitely not all. There are plenty of very accepting individuals here, if I had more time I'd introduce you to them."

"So you plan on leaving soon to get the G.E.C.K.?"

"Yes, I believe Elder Lyons will call us all up. I want to talk to you about that. While I'm around, you're fine, but if I were to... be killed it could end badly for you. If I die, I'd advise you to leave. I don't think that anyone here means to injure you, but it's not a risk you want to take. Definitely steer clear of Initiates, they're not as disciplined, but even some Knights and Paladins are prejudiced. The Brotherhood isn't perfect, I wish they'd do more to create peace, but at least they get things done."

"Why are you so concerned about my safety?" this was a question she had been thinking about for a while.

"A number of reasons. If I can prove to the Brotherhood that you're virtuous, and not the stereotypical malignant villain they assume every member of the Enclave is, it could do a lot for the organization. They need to be more tolerant if they're going to take over. We can't have a bigoted government if we ever want to see true order in the Wastes. Imagine if you were the key aspect to correcting the Brotherhood! Another reason would be my obvious dislike for wasting human life. The third would be for more personal reasons. You have my favor, therefore, I don't want you dead."

He didn't realize the kind of power his words had on Hope just then, she'd never heard anything like it before. It was the closest thing to "I love you," that she'd ever gotten, and no other words had such an affect on her emotionally. She didn't know how to react.

"F-favor?" she stammered.

"Very much so, actually. The fact that you were able to set aside our differences in such a short period of time left an impression on me, Hope. You're a good person, better than most." the words felt odd to him, like he was being too professional. He presumed it was the Citadel, for some reason, he always felt more business-like here.

"Thank you, but it seems I'm not near as altruistic as you. I'm starting to believe all those stories about you." she gave her best attempt at a compliment.

He snorted, "Oh, I'm not all that amazing. That's Three Dog's view of me, he claims to give everyone the truth _no matter how bad it is_, but he doesn't say anything about stretching it. Really, I'm just lucky, quick, and I don't have those deer-in-headlights moments." when Hope gave him a questioning look he explained, "Oh, that's when you freeze up when you're scared. I get a surge, and I'm ten times more useful than normal when I'm excited like that. Like an adrenaline rush."

"You must have _something_ more going for you." she persisted.

"Maybe. I don't think about it much, it's not that important. Hope," he said, switching topics, "while I'm gone, I want you try to form some sort of alliance with the people left guarding the gate. They will mostly be scribes, and I want you to talk to them about the Enclave. Give them any information they ask for, even though I know you don't want to betray the Enclave any more. It probably won't help us, but they may ask you to see if you're loyal. Answer truthfully, we know more about the Enclave than you'd expect. Just act like you're trying to join the Brotherhood, trying to change your ways and repent. I know it doesn't sound good, but put on a plastic smile for them, even when you feel like bashing their heads in."

"I will," she promised. Anything to appease him.

He smiled at the fact that she didn't so much as squeak a sound of protest, "So, what do you think of the Brotherhood, now that you've seen it yourself?

-----------

Elder Lyons had just finished discussing Charlie's reward. He was given access to their weapons and Power Armor, it wasn't in mint condition, but it was good enough, and proper training for it. Lyons also gave the group a chance to use their new tools for good. He assured them that their labor wouldn't be charity work, and they'd be repaid accordingly. Charlie felt that, after receiving the Power Armor, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Normally, the Brotherhood wouldn't do something like this, but Elder knew that beggars can't be choosers, and they'd need all the help they could get.

Once his meeting with Charlie was done, he called up the Lyon's Pride, and of course Zack. Everyone in the room knew what was going to happen.

Zack agreed to join the Lyon's Pride with enthusiasm, and everyone welcomed him, even the normally quiet Gallows. They didn't spend much time on inducting him into the Pride, and Elder Lyons quickly briefed them on their newest mission. They were to lead the assault on the Jefferson Memorial, and nearly every able-bodied soldier would back them. They were supposed to drive right into the museum and make their way to the purifier. Then, they were to activate it, of course. They knew all of that, but the Elder surprised them when he told them about Liberty Prime. He would talk to Doctor Li and Rothchild about starting the giant robot up, and he was sure they'd get the thing up and moving.

While Rothchild focused on getting Liberty Prime ready, Sarah had given the command for everyone who wasn't already on patrol guarding the Citadel to get suited up, via intercom. Rumor had already passed that the Lone Wanderer had come back, and since no one heard about any celebrations, they weren't surprised about getting ready for battle. Sarah had told them they were going to take back the purifier from the Enclave, so at least they knew that much.

After some time, everyone was ready. Liberty Prime was already shouting humorous anti-communist propaganda, and was ready to go, They began their short hike to the Jefferson Memorial, Zack was proudly wearing his new armor, the Pride emblem on his shoulder. He marched forth with his mind on one thing, and one thing only. His father's Project Purity.

* * *

Another slow chapter, forgive me. This definitely did not go as planned. Honestly, I think it's getting too long. I want to finish it soon, I'm starting to get bored with it.


End file.
